Scott Brown's SportsBytes on WKDZ

Herrin 78 Trigg County 55

If Herrin had their way, they would schedule Kentucky schools every day of the week.  The Illinois school entered the Marion Holiday Tournament with a 10-game losing streak and saw that extended to 12 games after losing to Marion and Lake County, Tennessee in the first two games.

Then came the Kentucky schools.

One night after ending their 12-game losing streak to Union County and a few hours after beating St. Mary 55-47, Herrin beat Trigg County 78-55 for their third straight win.

The loss left Trigg County with a 2-3 record in the tournament and 7-6 on the season.

Herrin jumped out to a 17-11 lead after one quarter and led 42-27 at halftime.  Trigg trailed 53-40 after three quarters and were outscored 25-15 in the final frame.

Trigg County shot 13-of-28 from inside the 3-point line but was an abysmal 4-of-24 behind the arc.  They were also outrebounded 47-27, according to WKDZ's Rick Chedister, who followed the Wildcats in Marion this week.

Jonathon King led the Wildcats with 20 points and five rebounds, while Zeke Wright added 13 points and nine rebounds.  Jalik Alexander added 10 points, and Dustin White chipped in with six points and six rebounds.

The Wildcats finished the trip with a record of 7-6 and posted a 4-4 record in their two holiday tournaments.

Marion, the host school, won their own event again with a 5-0 record against the competition.

Heath 59 Trigg County 47

Trigg County left the Lady Tiger Cracker Barrel Classic winless after falling to Heath 59-47 in the seventh place game Saturday afternoon in Murray.

Head coach Amy Breckel obviously isn't pleased with what she has been seeing and benched her normal starters in favor of Morgan Parker, Keisha Stewart, Karlie Stewart, Abigail Torian, and Amanda Want.

Keisha Stewart responded with her best game of the season with nine points, six rebounds, and two steals in 22 minutes of action.

The Lady Wildcats fell behind 17-5 after one quarter and then played Heath even the rest of the way.  But poor shooting in the first half (5-of-24) made the hole a hard one to dig out of in the second half.

Janada Acree led Trigg with 11 points and five rebounds.  Dori Sheehan and Brooke Kearney each scored eight points.

Chelsey Chambers came off the Heath bench to score 16 points, and Emily Kodman added 12 points and 12 rebounds, part of a 43-28 advantage on the boards for the Lady Pirates.

Heath (3-9) finished in seventh place at Trigg County's 12 Games of Christmas last week and again at the Murray Lady Tiger Classic this week.

The game was the first between Heath and Trigg County since the 2000 season, with Heath leading the all-time series 3-0.

Trigg County will enter the new year with a record of 1-10 and will host Crittenden County as part of a district doubleheader Friday.

Click HERE for a game boxscore

Lake County 75 Trigg County 50

Both of these teams came into the Marion Holiday Tournament averaging over 70 points a game.  One team reached it and one did not.

Lake County hit 13 three-pointers in the first three quarters and buried the Wildcats 75-50 Saturday afternoon.  Trigg shot just 32-percent from the field as they have failed to recapture their offensive outburst that they displayed in their tourney-opening win.  Of course, they aren't playing Union County either.

Lake County led 24-14 after one quarter and 44-27 at halftime.  A 20-6 third quarter run by the Falcons pretty much buried the Wildcats, who fell to 2-2 in the tournament with the loss.

For the first time this season, no Wildcat reached double figures in scoring.  Shelton Burress led Trigg with eight points, while Jalik Alexander, Zeke Wright and Jonathon King each scored six points.  Dustin White and Russell Lancaster each chipped in with five points.

Trigg County 59 St. Mary 56

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win as Trigg County held on to beat St. Mary 59-56 in the Marion Holiday Tournament Friday in the Land of Lincoln.

Trigg trailed by as many as eight points in the third quarter before outscoring the Vikings 19-13 in the final quarter.

Jonathon King led the Wildcats with 20 points, and Shelton Burress kicked in 16 points.  Russell Lancaster added nine points, Dustin White six, and Jalik Alexander had two points, eight rebounds, and four steals.

St. Mary fell to 3-8 with the loss.

Trigg County is 7-4 and will play two games today.  They play Lake County, Tennessee at 12:30pm.  Don't expect a 40-39 game in this one.  Tonight at 7pm, they play Herrin, Illinois -- a team that beat Union County 66-59 Friday for their first win in the tournament.

Click HERE for the game recap from the Marion Daily Republican newspaper

Buckhorn 66 Trigg County 52

A slow start doomed Trigg County as they fell 66-52 in the consolation bracket of the Murray Cracker Barrel Classic Friday.  They will play Heath at 11am today in the 7th place game.

Buckhorn used a 19-3 first quarter run to build a 21-8 lead they never relinquished.  Trigg trailed 30-13 at one point in the second quarter but used a 16-5 run to climb back in the game.

Trigg was bothered by foul trouble in the second half which resulted in some soft inside defense.  The Lady Wildcats cut the lead to 53-50 with 5:42 left but didn't score again until the final few seconds as Buckhorn ended the game on a 13-2 run.  Trigg had nine turnovers and missed eight straight shots during that run.

For the game, Trigg had 30 turnovers and was outscored 23-5 after turnovers.

Brooke Kearney led Trigg with 15 points, while Janada Acree added 14 points and 12 rebounds.  Trinity Wortham scored eight.

Buckhorn (6-4) got 16 points and 11 rebounds from Jamey Jo Gilbert.

Trigg County falls to 1-9 with the loss.  They will play Heath, who lost to Caldwell County 43-39.

Trigg/Buckhorn boxscore

Murray 66 Trigg County 37

Turnovers were the difference as Trigg County dropped the opener of the Lady Tiger Cracker Barrel Classic 66-37 to Murray.

Murray scored 36 points off 34 Trigg turnovers and outscored them 36-7 off mistakes -- which proved to be the final margin.

Trigg committed 15 turnovers in the first quarter as Murray took advantage by jumping out to an 18-6 lead.

The Lady Wildcats hit just 27-percent from the field against the tight defense of Murray, who shot just 33-percent from the field but hit 20-of-27 free throws.

Janada Acree led Trigg with nine points and six rebounds, while Elysia Brown added eight points.  Brooke Kearney scored six points, and Karlie Stewart came off the bench to added five points and five rebounds.

Murray (7-1) got 24 points from eighth grader Haley Armstrong.

Trigg County falls to 1-8 with the loss.  They will play Buckhorn of the 14th Region today at 4:30pm in the consolation bracket.  Buckhorn wilted late and lost to Carlisle County 45-38.

In the other first round games, Hickman County beat Caldwell County 54-47 and Monroe County beat Heath 44-32.  Monroe won the game despite not making a field goal in the entire second half.  They led 36-10 at halftime and held on by hitting 8-of-13 free throws in the second half.

CLICK HERE for the game boxscore

Marion 65 Trigg County 35

After a couple of solid outings, Trigg County came crashing back to Earth with a 65-35 loss to host Marion in their holiday tournament Thursday night.

Marion (6-6) led 21-12 after one quarter and 45-23 at halftime before holding Trigg to just 12 second half points.

Jonathon King was the lone Wildcat in double figures with 11 points, while Shelton Burress added five.

Bradley Davis and Dustin White each scored four points, and Javin Grubbs added three points for the Wildcats, who fell to 6-4 on the season.

According to Rick Chedister, who is in Marion covering the 'Cats for WKDZ, Trigg County shot just 28-percent from the field and 4-of-17 from 3-point range.

Trigg has lost three of their four career meetings with Marion in the tournament.

The Wildcats will play St. Mary (3-7) tonight at 5:30pm.  St. Mary beat Union County 68-65. 

In the other game, Lake County, Tennessee beat Herrin, Illinois 88-72.

Click HERE for the game recap from the Marion Daily Republican newspaper.

Ravi Moss arrested

WLEX-TV in Lexington is reporting that former UK and University Heights basketball player Ravi Moss was arrested Thursday and charged with fourth-degree assault for a domestic violence incident involving a female acquaintance.

No other information was available from the WLEX website.

Lady Wildcats begin play in the Murray Cracker Barrel Classic today

Trigg County will begin play in the Lady Tiger Cracker Barrel Classic tonight in Murray.

The Lady Wildcats will play the host school in the final game of the first round at 7:30pm.

Trigg County is 1-7 on the season and showed signs of improvement last week at their own 12 Games of Christmas Tournament.

CLICK HERE for the season to date Lady Wildcat stats

The Lady Wildcats have a tough task as they face a Murray team that is 6-1 after finishing second in the 12 Games of Christmas in Cadiz last week.

In their title game loss, Murray lost junior guard Leah Dieleman to a knee injury.  Head coach Rechelle Turner said the injury wasn't season-ending, but that Dieleman, Murray's leading scorer, would miss 2-3 weeks.

Other first round matchups have Caldwell County (3-6) playing Hickman County (2-5) in the 3pm opening game.

Monroe County (6-1) will play Heath (2-7) in the 4:30pm game, and Buckhorn (5-3) of the 14th Region will play Carlisle County (3-3) at 6pm.

CLICK HERE for the Lady Tiger Cracker Barrel Classic Bracket

Trigg County's game with Murray tonight can be heard on WKDZ-FM beginning with the pregame show around 7:10pm.

I have been contracted to do the PA announcing and music for the Murray tournament and will appear on the pregame show, halftime, and postgame show of tonight's game.  Interesting gig.  It will be the first time I've done PA duties in a "foreign" gym.

Trigg County 76 Union County 52

Trigg County opened play in the Marion Holiday Tournament with a convincing 76-52 win over Union County tonight.

It was the first double-digit margin -- win or lose -- for the Wildcats this year.

Down 10-8 in the first quarter, the Wildcats ended the frame with a 13-3 run and poured it on in the second quarter, outscoring Union 27-9 for a comfortable 48-22 halftime lead.

The Wildcats were hot from the floor, hitting 57-percent (32-of-56), including 11-of-22 from 3-point range.  Trigg was 5-of-8 from the free throw line.

Jonathon King scored 22 of his 27 points in the first half, while Shelton Burress added 18 points and four assists.  Zeke Wright chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds.  Dustin White, seeing his first action of the year after suffering a broken arm during football season, came off the bench to score nine points and should provide the 'Cats with some much needed depth this week.

Russell Lancaster added four points and seven rebounds, and Bradley Davis had four points and four assists.

The Wildcats improve to 6-3 on the season, while Union County falls to 2-7.  The win was the second largest ever over the Braves in 22 career meetings and is Trigg's fourth straight in the series.

Trigg County will play the host school, Marion Thursday night at 7pm.

Wildcats begin play in Marion Holiday Tournament Wednesday

Trigg County begins play in the Farmer's State Bank Marion Illinois Holiday Tournament Wednesday.  The Wildcats will be making their fourth appearance in the five year history of the event.

The Wildcats are 5-3 on the season, coming off a 90-84 win over Fort Campbell that saw them take fifth place in the Murray Bank Holiday Classic.

Other teams in the round robin event include two other Kentucky schools -- Union County (2-6) and St. Mary (2-6).   Lake County, Tennessee (10-1) is considered to be the favorites to win the event after finishing second to the host Marion squad last year. 

The Falcons of Tiptonville, Tenn. are the highest scoring team in the tournament at 78.3 points, while Trigg County is second at 72 points a game.

Marion (4-6) won the event last year, and will be joined by Herrin (1-8) in the six team field.

Trigg will play one game each on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and two on Saturday.

In their previous three appearances, Trigg has posted a winning record just once in 2004-05 but lost their final two games after Russell Mackins and Rodney Davis were injured.  Trigg's career record in the event is 7-7.

The Wildcats do own winning record over every team in the field except for Marion (1-2).  They are 1-0 vs. St. Mary, Union County, and Herrin, and 2-1 vs. Lake County.

Fifth Annual Farmer's State Bank Marion Holiday Tournament

at Marion High School

Wednesday, Dec. 26

Union County, Ky. vs. Trigg County, Ky., 5:30 p.m.

Marion vs. Herrin, 7 p.m.

Lake County, Tenn. vs. Paducah St. Mary, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 27

Herrin vs. Lake County, Tenn., 5:30 p.m.

Trigg County, Ky. vs. Marion, 7 p.m.

Union County, Ky. vs. Paducah St. Mary, 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 28

Paducah St. Mary vs. Trigg County, Ky., 5:30 p.m.

Lake County, Tenn. vs. Marion, 7 p.m.

Herrin vs. Union County, Ky., 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 29

Marion vs. Union County, Ky., 11 a.m.

Lake County, Tenn. vs. Trigg County, Ky., 12:30 p.m.

Paducah St. Mary vs. Herrin, 2 p.m.

Union County, Ky. vs. Lake County, Tenn., 6 p.m.

Herrin vs. Trigg County, Ky., 7:30 p.m.

Marion vs. Paducah St. Mary, 9 p.m.

Ben Koenig named 3rd Team All-State

Trigg County offensive lineman Ben Koenig was named to the third team Louisville Courier-Journal All-State team in voting done by coaches statewide.

In addition to Koenig's selection, Wildcat junior Dustin Calhoun was named honorable mention at defensive lineman.

Among those named to the first team All-State were Fort Campbell defensive end Josh McWherter, Lone Oak quarterback Corey Robinson and his teammate, receiver Jamarielle Brown.

Among those named to the second team C-J All-State were Fort Campbell offensive lineman Zach Rinestine, Marshall County running back Alan Williams, Mayfield kicker Tommy McNutt, and linebacker Brent Simpkins, also of Mayfield.

Third team selections included Koenig, Lone Oak offensive lineman Jeff Prescott, Muhlenberg South kicker William Axtell, and Fort Campbell defensive back Dexter Durrante.

Players named honorable mention included Fort Campbell quarterback C.J. Croft, Christian County defensive back Ramone White, Metcalfe County quarterback Will Warf, Heath running back Chad Wright, and Hopkins Central defensive lineman Austin Pryor,

CLICK HERE for the Courier-Journal All-State OFFENSE

CLICK HERE for the Courier-Journal All-State DEFENSE

Two area players named to Herald-Leader All-State squad

A pair of area football players were named to the Lexington Herald-Leader's 2007 Class of the Commonwealth team.  The team is comprised of the best 22 seniors regardless of position.

Fort Campbell linebacker Josh McWherter, Marshall County running back Alan Williams, and Lone Oak quarterback Corey Robinson were among the 22 players named to the team

CLICK HERE for the complete list

Christian County, UHA in holiday events

Both Christian County and University Heights are in a couple of prestigious statewide post-Christmas baskeball tournaments.

The Colonels are in the Fifth-Third Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic where they will play Franklin County Wednesday at 3pm.  If they win, the Colonels will play Covington Catholic Thursday.

Meanwhile, University Heights is part of the 16 team King of the Bluegrass Tournament at Fairdale High in Louisville.  The Blazers open play Wednesday against defending Fifth Region champion Adair County at 4:30pm.  They will play Thursday at 7:30pm regardless of the outcome.

CLICK HERE for the Fifth/Third Holiday Classic brackets

CLICK HERE for the King of the Bluegrass brackets

Eldridge Rogers elected to Kentucky Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame

Eldridge Rogers has been elected to the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Rogers will be formally recognized at a ceremoney January 19 in Louisville as part of the state baseball coaches clinic.

Rogers coached Christian County for three seasons, amassing a 46-11 record during that time.  However, he is more widely known for his contributions as an umpire, which included 26 years at the high school level where he officiated 26 straight district and region tournaments and umpired in 12 state tournaments. 

Rogers also started the Pennyrile Umpires Association where he trained, assigned, and supervised baseball umpires until 2006.  He also was the supervisor for the state baseball and softball tournaments, and still conducts training clinics on mechanics.

The induction into the KHSBCA Hall of Fame is the just the latest honor for Rogers, who is already a member of the Dawahares KHSAA Hall of Fame, Christian County High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Kentucky Academic Association Hall of Fame.

Rogers currently coaches the Heritage Christian Academy volleyball team.

Trigg County 90 Fort Campbell 84

Trigg County claimed fifth place in the Murray Bank Classic Saturday with an exciting 90-84 win over Fort Campbell.

The Wildcats shot 57-percent from the field, including 15-of-27 from 3-point range.  The school record for 3-pointers in a game is 18 against Lyon County in 1999.

Trigg was only 5-of-8 at the free throw line, and they all came in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats held off the Falcons.

Jonathon King led the Wildcats with 38 points, while Zeke Wright scored a career-high 26 points.  Shelton Burress added 13 points, and Bradley Davis scored 10 points.

Robbie Townsend led Fort Campbell (5-3) with 33 points.

The win was Trigg's fifth over Fort Campbell in their last seven meetings and was the 50th game between the schools.  Trigg County leads the all-time series 30-20.

Trigg County is now 5-3 with all eight games decided by eight points or less.  They return to action Wednesday at the Marion Round Robin in Marion, Illinois when they play Union County.

Hopkinsville wins the Toyota of Hopkinsville Christmas Invitational

Hopkinsville held off University Heights 77-71 to win the first Toyota of Hopkinsville Christmas Invitational Saturday night at Colonel Gym.

DeMarcus Carter led Hoptown (9-1) with 18 points, while Brayon Mason and Darnell Davis each scored 17 points.

UHA (9-2) got 27 points from Scotty Hopson and 21 more from Tyshawn Edmonson. 

Pleasure Ridge Park took third place with a 78-72 win over Christian County.  PRP improved to 9-2, while Christian County fell to 2-6.

Mill Creek, Georgia took fifth place with a win over Colquitt County, Georgia, and Warren Central got a bucket at the buzzer to beat Lone Oak 63-62 for seventh place.

Trigg County 61 Logan County 53

Trigg County advanced to the consolation final of the Murray Bank Classic with a 61-53 win over Logan County Friday.

The Wildcats fell behind 16-10 after one quarter but outscored Logan County 33-20 in the second half for the win.

"I felt our defense played much better today than we did against Reidland," Wildcat head coach Mike Wright said.  "We played different combinations and looked better."

Jonathon King scored 28 points and hit five of Trigg County's eight 3-pointers in the game.  Bradley Davis scored a season-high 12 points, Shelton Burress added eight points, and Zeke Wright scored seven.

"That's the kind of scoring balance we need.  We need a bunch of guys to get us 8-10 points a game every game," Wright said.

Coby Adler led Logan County (1-6) with 12 points.

Trigg County improves to 4-3 with the win and will play Fort Campbell Saturday in the fifth place game at 1:45pm.  Fort Campbell beat Livingston Central 81-51 in the other consolation bracket semifinal.

Murray and Warren East will play for the championship at 5:15pm Saturday.

Reidland 81 Trigg County 73

Trigg County overcame an eight-point deficit with 90 seconds left to send the game to overtime, but Reidland outscored them 10-2 in the overtime for an 81-73 win in the first round of the Murray Bank Classic Thursday.

Jonathon King scored a career-high 44 points, including a bucket with a few seconds left that sent the game to overtime.

Shelton Burress scored 13 points, and Jalik Alexander added eight for the Wildcats, who attempted 21 more shots than Reidland but shot nearly 19-percentage points lower.

Josh Blakeley led Reidland (2-5) with 22 points, and Eric Mitchell added 21 points.

Reidland's win was their first over Trigg County since 1995.

Union City 58 Trigg County 35

Trigg County couldn't overcome a slow start and fell to Union City 58-35 in the fifth place game of the Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas Thursday at Wildcat Gym.

Trigg fell behind 12-1 after one quarter and hit just three-of-15 shots from the field in the first 16 minutes.

Trigg battled back to within 10 points on several occasions but were outscored 20-13 in the final quarter.

Trinity Wortham and Elysia Brown each scored eight points, and Dori Sheehan added six points.  Janada Acree also scored six points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Union City (3-9) got 11 points from Doreal Strayhorn.

Trigg couldn't overcome 36 turnovers that led to 32 Union City points.

The Lady Wildcats fell to 1-7 with the loss and will play in the Murray Cracker Barrel Classic next week.  They will play Murray in next Thursday's first round.

Click HERE for the game boxscore

Community Christian beats Murray for 12 Games of Christmas title

Community Christian held off Murray 48-44 in overtime to win the Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas tournament Thursday at Wildcat Gym.

Maggie Fort scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead CCA, while Laura Evers added 12 points.

CCA (8-1) had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed two free throws with five seconds left.

Eighth grader Haley Armstrong led Murray (6-1) with 20 points and six rebounds.

The game featured eight ties and 16 lead changes, with neither team leading by more than five points.  However, CCA ended the game on an 11-2 run to claim their first 12 Games title.  The Lady Warriors from Paducah become the seventh different school to win the 12 Games tournament in seven years.

Click HERE for the game boxscore

THIRD PLACE

Fulton County 53 McLean County 40 - Fulton County used a 10-4 second quarter run to take control and ran away from McLean County 53-40 to claim third place in the 12 Games of Christmas.

Ellie Goodman led Fulton County (5-6) with 16 points and seven rebounds.

McLean County (2-6) got 11 points each from Cinamon Ashby and Kimbra Payne.

Click HERE for the game boxscore

SEVENTH PLACE

Heath 42 Reidland 26 - Reidand shot 17-percent from the field and committed 24 turnovers which was more than enough for Heath to claim the 16-point win in the seventh place game.

Jamie Pritchett led Heath (2-7) with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Reidland (0-8) got 10 points and 11 rebounds from Aimee Beasley.

Click HERE for the game boxscore

Trigg County 55 Reidland 47

Trigg County used a 15-0 second quarter run and a 9-2 run in the third quarter to get their first win of the year -- a 55-47 win over Reidland in the consolation bracket of the Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas at Wildcat Gym.

Trigg trailed 18-7 after one quarter and 20-9 early before scoring the next 15 points to gain the lead.

The Lady Wildcats ruled the inside, outscoring Reidland 34-8 in the paint.  Dori Sheehan scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.  Morgan Parker and Keisha Stewart each came off the bench to score five points, with Parker grabbing six rebounds.

Freshman Elysia Brown had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lady Wildcats, who got their first win of the season to improve to 1-6 on the season.

Eighth grader Christina Winsett led Reidland (0-7) with 11 points.

Trigg outrebounded Reidland 48-39 and survived a 32-percent shooting day.  Reidland didn't help themselves by hitting just 15-of-35 free throws.

Click here for the game boxscore

THURSDAY'S 12 GAMES OF CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

Noon - Heath vs. Reidland (seventh place game)

1:30pm - Trigg County vs. Union City (fifth place game)

3pm - McLean County vs. Fulton County (third place game)

4:30pm - Community Christian vs. Murray (Championship Game)

12 Games of Christmas - Day Two Recap

Day Two of the Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas is in the books with the final day matchups set.

Game #6 - Union City 35 Heath 30 - Union City jumped out to an early lead and had just enough to hold off Heath 35-30 in the consolation bracket. 

Union City (2-9) outscored Heath 20-6 off turnovers and hit four 3-pointers in the contest.  Nine different Union City players scored, led by Allison McCullough's eight points.

Lauren Paxton scored 11 points for Heath (1-7).

Click here for the game boxscore

Game #7 - Murray 50 McLean County 38 - Murray advanced to the title game thanks to forcing 31 turnovers and outscoring McLean 31-10 off the miscues.  The Lady Tigers led by 19 after three quarters before McLean chisled some off the lead in the final quarter.

Leah Dieleman led Murray (6-0) with 15 points, while Stacey McClure added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Cinamon Ashby led McLean County (2-5) with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Click here for the game boxscore

Game #8 - Community Christian 56 Fulton County 53 - CCA held off a furious Fulton County rally that saw the Lady Pilots trim a 12-point deficit to one in the final two minutes.  The Lady Warriors hit 14-of-22 free throws, while Fulton County was just 5-of-10.

Laura Evers led CCA (7-1) with 16 points, and Catherine Freeman added 10.

Fulton County (4-6) got 17 points from Ellie Goodman, while Kyra Waye scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Alex Barnett hit four 3-pointers for 12 points and dished out nine assists.

The loss keeps Fulton County from becoming the first team to repeat as 12 Games champions.

Click here for the game boxscore

12 Games of Christmas - Day Two Recap

Day Two of the Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas is in the books with the final day matchups set.

Game #6 - Union City 35 Heath 30 - Union City jumped out to an early lead and had just enough to hold off Heath 35-30 in the consolation bracket. 

Union City (2-9) outscored Heath 20-6 off turnovers and hit four 3-pointers in the contest.  Nine different Union City players scored, led by Allison McCullough's eight points.

Lauren Paxton scored 11 points for Heath (1-7).

Click here for the game boxscore

Game #7 - Murray 50 McLean County 38 - Murray advanced to the title game thanks to forcing 31 turnovers and outscoring McLean 31-10 off the miscues.  The Lady Tigers led by 19 after three quarters before McLean chisled some off the lead in the final quarter.

Leah Dieleman led Murray (6-0) with 15 points, while Stacey McClure added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Cinamon Ashby led McLean County (2-5) with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Click here for the game boxscore

Game #8 - Community Christian 56 Fulton County 53 - CCA held off a furious Fulton County rally that saw the Lady Pilots trim a 12-point deficit to one in the final two minutes.  The Lady Warriors hit 14-of-22 free throws, while Fulton County was just 5-of-10.

Laura Evers led CCA (7-1) with 16 points, and Catherine Freeman added 10.

Fulton County (4-6) got 17 points from Ellie Goodman, while Kyra Waye scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Alex Barnett hit four 3-pointers for 12 points and dished out nine assists.

The loss keeps Fulton County from becoming the first team to repeat as 12 Games champions.

Click here for the game boxscore

Toyota of Hopkinsville Christmas Invitational

Here is the schedule for the first ever Toyota of Hopkinsville Christmas Invitational that will split between Christian County and Hopkinsville over the next three days.

THURSDAY

6:30 - Warren Central at Hopkinsville

6:30 - Colquitt County, Georgia vs. University Heights at Christian County

8pm - Pleasure Ridge Park vs. Mill Creek, Georgia at Hopkinsville

8pm - Lone Oak at Christian County

FRIDAY MORNING

10am - Mill Creek, Georgia at Hopkinsville

10am - Colquitt County, Georgia at Christian County

11:30am - Warren Central vs. PRP at Hopkinsville

11:30am - UHA vs. Lone Oak at Christian County

FRIDAY NIGHT

6:30pm - Mill Creek vs. Warren Central at Hopkinsville

6:30pm - Colquitt County vs. Lone Oak at Christian County

8pm - PRP at Hopkinsville

8pm - University Heights at Christian County

SATURDAY (all games at Christian County High)

9:30am - Skills competition

3:30pm - Seventh place game

5pm - Fifth place game

6:30pm - Third place game

8pm - Championship Game

McLean County 46 Trigg County 36

McLean County used a 21-0 second half run and scored 31 points off 40 Trigg turnovers to post a 46-36 win in the first round of the Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas tournament Tuesday at Wildcat Gym.

Trigg led 26-17 before they missed their next seven shots and turned the basketball over 12 times during the 8:18 scoreless streak.  They never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

The Lady Wildcats struggled from the field, hitting 27-percent in the game and 24-percent in the second half. 

Janada Acree led Trigg with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Elysia Brown added nine points.

Cinamon Ashby was the only Lady Cougar in double figures with 12 points and eight rebounds.

McLean County improved to 2-4 with the win, while Trigg fell to 0-6 with the loss.

Click here for a game boxscore

12 Games of Christmas - Day One Recap

Here's a look back at day one of the Trigg County Lady Wildcat 12 Games of Christmas tournament at Wildcat Gym:

Game #1 - Murray 65 Reidland 37 - Murray ran out to a 20-4 lead after one quarter and didn't look back in handing Reidland a 65-37 loss.  The win was Murray's third first round win in their four career appearences in the 12 Games.

Stacey McClure had 20 points and five rebounds, while Leah Dieleman added 17 points for Murray, who improved to 5-0 with the win.

Nikki Shockley came off the bench to score nine points for Reidland, who committed 31 turnovers that led to 26 Murray points.

Reidland fell to 0-6 with the loss.

Click here for the game boxscore

Game #3 - Fulton County 50 Heath 31 - Fulton County opened defense of their 12 Games title with a 50-31 win over Heath in the opening round.

The Lady Pilots shot 51-percent from the field and owned a 37-24 advantage on the boards.

Ellie Goodman led Fulton County with 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Alex Barnett added seven points and nine assists.

Paige Cochran and Emily Kodman led Heath with eight points apiece.

Fulton County improved to 4-5 on the season, while Heath fell to 1-6 with the loss.

Click here for the game boxscore

Game #4 - Community Christian 38 Union City, Tenn. 33 - Community Christian overcame 20 turnovers to win their first game in the 12 Games of Christmas.

Laura Evers led CCA with 13 points, and Maggie Fort added nine points and 13 rebounds for the Lady Warriors, who improved to 7-1.

Union City hit six 3-pointers and five 2-point shots and struggled to shoot 19-percent from the field.  Allison McCullough had 12 points and six rebounds for Union City, who dropped to 1-9 with the loss.

Click here for the game boxscore

WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE

4:30pm - Reidland vs. Trigg County

6pm - Heath vs. Union City

7:30pm - Murray vs. McLean County

9pm - Community Christian vs. Fulton County

Trigg County 12 Games of Christmas Preview

Trigg County will host the seventh annual 12 Games of Christmas girls basketball tournament over the next three days at Wildcat Gym.

The action begins today at 4:30pm when Murray and Reidland play in the opener.  Trigg County will play McLean County at 6pm in the other upper bracket contest.

At 7:30pm, Heath will play Fulton County.  The 9am nightcap will have Union City, Tennessee and Community Christian of Paducah playing.

The second round will continue Wednesday, and the final round will begin at noon Thursday.

Here is a look at the teams and first round matchups:

Murray vs. Reidland - Murray is making their third straight appearance in the tournament and fourth in the past five years.  The Lady Tigers won the 2003 title but finished fifth in 2005 and sixth last year.

Murray enters the tournament at 4-0, with three of the wins coming by three points or less.  Murray has beaten two of the teams in the 12 Games field, knocking off Fulton County 45-43 and Heath 42-31.

Junior Stacey McClure, who was the tournament's top scorer last year, returns for Murray, as does eighth grade guard Haley Armstrong, who averaged 14 points in three tourney games last year.

Reidland won 14 games last year but only return a handful of players with varsity experience.  The Lady Hounds are making their third appearance in the 12 Games of Christmas and first in two years.  They have finished 1-2 in both previous appearances.

Reidland has some size in the middle with 5-9 Nikki Shockley and 5-10 Heather Schneider.

Trigg County vs. McLean County - Trigg County comes into the tourney winless, but now have most of their pieces in place offensively.  The Lady Wildcats lost to Lyon County 57-50 last Friday, getting three players to score in double figures.

Freshman Elysia Brown is the team's leading scorer, while junior Janada Acree scored a season-high 10 points Friday.  Trinity Wortham, who suffered a season-ending injury in the 12 Games tourney last year, scored 11 points against Lyon County Friday and could be ready for a larger role this week.

Trigg County had never finished worse than third in the previous five years until failing to win a game last year and coming in eighth.

McLean County comes into the tournament with a record of 1-4 and will be making their fifth straight appearance in the 12 Games of Christmas.  McLean County finished third two years ago and seventh last year.

Senior Cinamon Ashby scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in three tournament games last year, while guards Brooke Little and Cecily Logsdon also return.

Heath vs. Fulton County - The Lady Pilots are the defending tournament champions and come into the 12 Games with a record of 3-5. 

Ellie Goodman averaged 10 points and nine rebounds in the tournament last year.  Alex Barnett and Kyra Waye also return for Fulton County.

Heath beat Fulton City in the season opener but has lost their last five games.  The Lady Pirates finished third in the tournament last year and tied for the title in 2005.

They feature a solid frontcourt led by 5-10 forwards Emily Kodman and Jamie Pritchett.

Community Christian vs. Union City, Tennessee - The nightcap features a pair of schools making their first appearance in the 12 Games of Christmas.

The Lady Warriors of Community Christian are 6-1 and riding a six-game winning streak into Wildcat Gym.  CCA features 5-11 senior Maggie Fort, a volleyball standout.  Freshman Bonnie Durrett grew three inches over the summer and stands at six feet tall.

Union City is the first out-of-state team to compete in the 12 Games of Christmas.  The Lady Twisters were 18-12 last year and won their first district title since 1949.  However, the Class A school has lost eight of their first nine games this year.

They may feature the deepest team in the tournament but only have three seniors on their roster and have had to overcome some early season injuries.  5-9 point guard Shenisha Huff could be the best freshman in the tournament field along with Trigg's Elysia Brown.

The Lady Twisters are guard heavy and don't feature anyone taller than 5-9 on their roster.

CLICK HERE for the bracket and times for the 12 Games of Christmas

PAST WINNERS OF THE 12 GAMES OF CHRISTMAS

2006 - Fulton County 45 Metcalfe County 44

2005 - Metcalfe County 73 Trigg County 40

2004 - No championship played due to bad weather.  Heath and McLean County were scheduled to play.

2003 - Murray 56 Trigg County 45

2002 - St. Mary 48 Carlisle County 43

2001 - Carlisle County 58 Dawson Springs 47

Trigg soccer team recognized

The Trigg County boys' soccer team was recognized at their annual awards banquet Sunday afternoon.

The following players were among the award winners:

Offensive MVP- Trevor Harper, Jeremy Stamps (12 goals each)
Defensive MVP- Josh Green
Field General Award- Roman Cail
100 % Award- Jeremy Butts
Most Improved- Jeremy Butts
Senior Awards- Nate York, Ronnie Weeks, Mike Savage

Josh Nichols is the head coach of the Wildcats, who finished the 2007 season with a 6-8-3 record.

Seven Wildcats named to All-Kentucky New Era Football Team

The Kentucky New Era newspaper announced their annual all-star football team Saturday, with seven Trigg County Wildcats named to the team.

Fort Campbell's Shawn Berner was voted coach of the year.

Here is the offensive and defensive teams:

ALL KNE OFFENSE

QB - C.J. Croft - Fort Campbell

RB - Troy Turner - Fort Campbell

RB - Vashun Banks - Christian County

WR - Eric Faughn - Caldwell County

WR - Victor Moulden - Hopkinsville

WR - Will Stagner - Trigg County

OL - Zach Rinestine - Fort Campbell

OL - P.J. Hernandez - Christian County

OL - Ben Koenig - Trigg County

OL - Matt Wallace - Trigg County

OL - Kyle Proffitt - Hopkinsville

OL - Antonio Jones - Hopkinsville

ALL KNE DEFENSE

DL - Dee Allen - Christian County

DL - Thomas Pool - Christian County

DL - Michael Lipson - Caldwell County

DL - Dustin Calhoun - Trigg County

DL - Matt Buis - Todd County Central

LB - Josh McWherter - Fort Campbell

LB - Joe Harris - Hopkinsville

LB - Antonio Grubbs - Trigg County

LB - Ben Dillingham - Caldwell County

DB - Dexter Durrante - Fort Campbell

DB - Darrick Dillard - Hopkinsville

DB - Scotty Mayes - Trigg County

DB - Ramone White - Christian County

K - John Reinick - Trigg County

P - Corey Armstrong - Christian County

Special Teams - Ricky Tinnin - Christian County

HONORABLE MENTION - James Bauer (Christian County), Aaron Power (Todd County Central), Brandon Bridges (Trigg County), Cardell McGregor (Hopkinsville), David Wallace (Christian County), Devin Stewart (Trigg County), DeAndre Mensah (Todd County Central), Lorenzo Hines (Fort Campbell), Matt Tittle (Caldwell County), Chris Allen (Fort Campbell), Jake Perdue (Todd County Central), Kirk Thomas (Hopkinsville), Darryl Dobson (Christian County), Nate Dyer (Caldwell County), Ethan Boley (Todd County Central), Jacob Langston (Christian County), Anthony Topps (Fort Campbell), Jesse Naputi (Fort Campbell), Kody McGregor (Caldwell County), Josh Carter (Fort Campbell), Xavier Brison (Trigg County), Tron Gray (Caldwell County), Terrance Moore (Todd County Central), Jordan Williams (Christian County), Corey Tucker (Fort Campbell), Kyle Graham (Hopkinsville), Jake Pepper (Caldwell County), Alan R. Johnson (Fort Campbell), Ethan Power (Todd County Central) and Kyle Smithson (Hopkinsville).

Trigg County 79 Lyon County 77

Wow. 

That's about all you can say about Trigg County's 79-77 triple overtime win over Lyon County Friday night at Wildcat Gym.

The game featured 15 ties and 12 lead changes in what was Trigg County's first triple-overtime game since an 81-79 loss to Todd County Central at Wildcat Gym in 1985.

The game was tied 55-55 after the first overtime as neither team scored in the final 1:18 of regulation.

In the first overtime, Jonathon King hit a bucket with 0:14 left to tie the game at 60.  Ramsey Walker was fouled with 3.3 seconds left but missed both free throws to send the game to a second overtime.

In the second overtime, King scored nine of Trigg's 10 points but missed two free throws 0:13 left. 

In the third overtime, King scored seven of Trigg's nine points, including three free throws with six seconds left that sealed the game.

King finished with 41 points and 11 rebounds, despite not starting the game.  Shelton Burress and Jalik Alexander also had 11 points apiece for the Wildcats, who had three starters foul out of the game.

Ramsey Walker led Lyon County with 35 points and 13 rebounds, but finished 8-of-20 at the free throw line.

For the game, Trigg was 12-of-18 at the line, while the Lyons were 21-of-40.  In all, Trigg was whistled for 30 fouls while Lyon was called for 18.

Trigg County is now 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the district, while Lyon County falls to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the district.

CLICK HERE for a game boxscore

Lyon County 57 Trigg County 50

Coming off a 50-point district loss to Livingston Central on Tuesday, Trigg County played much better in a 57-50 loss to Lyon County Friday night at Wildcat Gym.

However, the Lady Wildcats didn't have an answer for Lyon County's Abbey McLeod, who finished with 36 points and nine rebounds on the night.

Trigg County scored a season-high 50 points and got double-figure scoring from three players.  Elysia Brown by far played her best game of the year with 21 points and five steals.  Trinity Wortham, playing in only her second game of the season, scored 11 points, and Janada Acree added 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Lady Wildcats suffered from the turnover big once again, turning the basketball over 30 times that led to 27 Lyon County points.

Lyon County improved to 3-4 on the season and 2-1 in the district.  Trigg County fell to 0-5 and 0-3 in the district.

CLICK HERE for a game boxscore

Major League Baseball releases the Mitchell Report

Major League Baseball released the report by George Mitchell on steroids in the game.  Kind of like when Geraldo Rivera drilled through the wall of a Chicago hotel on live TV and found squat.

No real surprises here.  Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, etc.  No real shockers.  This was done to quiet the whispers.  Hopefully, MLB can now focus on what matters most -- what happens on the field.

If you have some time, CLICK HERE to read the full Mitchell Report.

Midcats to play for district titles tonight

Both Trigg County 7th grade middle school basketball teams will play for the Fifth District title tonight in Eddyville.

The Lady Midcats will play for the title at 5:30pm.  Trigg beat Lyon County 34-11 Monday night behind 19 points from Khadijah Grubbs and seven from Taylor Dinsmore.

The Midcats beat Lyon County 58-11 in their opening round win Monday behind 16 points from Deonquez Nance and 14 from Luke McKenzie.

The Midcats will play for the title at 7pm at Lyon County Middle School.

Shannon Burcham gets Army All-American Bowl Invitation

Trigg County Wildcat head coach Shannon Burcham will attend and participate in the Army All-American Bowl Jan. 5 in San Antonio, Texas.

Burcham will attend the game and the events surrounding the contest at the Army's expense.  He was chosen over several other coaches in the Southeast region.

Burcham was nominated by Army recruiter Sgt. First Class David Fuller, a Trigg County alum who is based in Hopkinsville.

"Coach Burcham is an outstanding coach, but more importantly, he's an outstanding teacher and a great mentor.  He epitomizes what we are looking for in a deserving coach," Sgt. Fuller said in a press release.

Burcham was recognized at a ceremony at the school Wednesday.  He said he wasn't sure what his duties or responsibilities were going to be at the game, but that he intended to go where they wanted him to and was going to have a good time.

The Army All-American Bowl is now considered the nation's premier high school All-American game and is televised on NBC.

Courttime Volleyball Tryouts will be Saturday

The deadline to sign up for CourtTime Volleyball for the 2008 season is Saturday (Dec. 15).

There will be leagues for 4th/5th graders, 6th-8th graders, and a varsity high school league as well as a jv/freshman high school league.

The tryouts for the high school leagues will be at Hopkinsville Middle School.

Contact Rick Erickson at (270) 886-1802 or e-mail at [email protected] for more information or a registration form.

Livingston Central 77 Trigg County 74

Trigg County didn't have an answer for the inside game of Livingston Central and lost to the Cardinals 77-74 Tuesday night in Smithland.  The loss snapped a 15-game winning streak over Livingston Central dating back to 2001.

Trigg overcame a slow start that saw them get outscored 22-10 in the first quarter.  Trigg warmed in the second quarter to trail 33-30 at halftime.  The Wildcats led 55-54 after three quarters but couldn't stop the Cardinals inside down the stretch.

Livingston shot 56-percent from the field, while Trigg hit just 27-of-69 shots for 39-percent.

Jonathon King led Trigg County with 27 points, while Shelton Burress added 19, and Jalik Alexander scored 12 points.

Livingston Central had four players in double figures, led by Tait Smith who scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half.  Brandon Croft added 17 points.

Both teams are 2-2 overall and 1-1 in district play.  The Wildcats will host Lyon County Friday.

Livingston Central 80 Trigg County 30

Livingston Central forced 38 turnovers and used a 24-0 first half run to bury Trigg County 80-30 Tuesday night in Smithland.

Livingston led 33-4 after one quarter and 49-16 by halftime.  Ahead by 50 points in the fourth quarter, the starters were removed from the game and the Lady Cardinals coasted to the same 50-point margin, which is the largest in the history of the series.

Elysia Brown was the lone Lady Wildcat in double figures with 11 points, while Karlie Stewart and Kalesha Williams each scored four points.  Junior guard Trinity Wortham saw her first action of the year and scored three points.  She had missed Trigg's first three games with an ankle injury.

Livingston Central (3-1, 2-0) had four players in double figures, led by Lauren Whetstone's 20 points and 12 more from Candace Kitchens.

Trigg County fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the district.  The Lady Wildcats will host Lyon County Friday.

Bluegrasspreps.com Basketball Rankings for Dec. 11

Bluegrasspreps Boys Top 20

1. Mason County
2. Ballard
3. Lexington Catholic
4. Scott County
5. Madison Central
6. Jeffersontown
7. Bryan Station
8. Covington Catholic
9. University Heights
10. Henry Clay
11. Adair County
12. Elliott County
13. Paducah Tilghman
14. Pleasure Ridge Park
15. Trinity
16. Male
17. Hazard
18. Holmes
19. North Hardin
20. Tates Creek

Bluegrasspreps Girls Top 20

1. Lexington Christian
2. Iroquois
3. Paul Dunbar
4. Manual
5. Lexington Catholic
6. North Hardin
7. Henry Clay
8. Henderson County
9. Elizabethtown
10. Pike County Central
11. Shelby County
12. Franklin Simpson
13. Montgomery County
14. Muhlenberg North
15. Clay County
16. Boone County
17. Calloway County
18. Warren East
19. Rowan County
20. Lafayette

ArrowCats off to good start

The Trigg County ArrowCats got off to a good start Saturday in a match at Henderson County.

Amber Abate had the high score of the day in all divisions with a 288 of 300.

Taylor Davis finished second in the high school girls' division with a score of 284.  Others placing in the top 10 in the girls division were Kyler Herndon (4th), Ashleigh Scott (7th), and Haley Thomas (10th).

Ethan Jones was Trigg's top finisher on the boys' side in sixth place.

Katie Coons won the middle school girls division with a score of 278, while Sloane Patterson was fifth.

In the middle school boys' division, Garrett Brown took second place, while Landon Sumner was 7th and Matthew Brokering was 11th.

Fort Campbell 21 Newport Central Catholic 7

Fort Campbell claimed the school's fourth state football championship and first since 1979 with a 21-7 win over Newport Central Catholic Saturday in Louisville.

The Falcons scored twice in the fourth quarter and held the Thoroughbred offense in check most of the day.

Dexter Durrante took home MVP honors with 121 yards rushing and the clinching 67-yard touchdown run with 2:54 left in the game.

The Falcons finish with a record of 13-2.

Click HERE for game stats

Click HERE for a photo gallery of the Falcons and their championship weekend

Click below for game recaps from:

• The Louisville Courier-Journal
• The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle
• The Kentucky New Era
• The Lexington Herald Leader
• NKY.com

Trigg gains split with Crittenden County

Trigg County gained a doubleheader split with Crittenden County Friday night in Marion.

Crittenden's girls won 57-41, while Trigg took the boys' game 73-65.

Brooke Kearney hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for Trigg, who dropped to 0-3 with the loss.

Jonathon King had 30 points for Trigg, who again delivered a strong fourth quarter to move to 2-1 with the district win.

I was in Louisville Friday and will post more info and stats after watching the game film on both games.

Three down, three to go

Just got back from watching Highlands dismantle Bowling Green 28-7 to win the Class 5A state championship.  Highlands is a football machine.  They aren't flashy.  They just get the job done.

Earlier today, Beechwood held on to beat Lexington Christian to win the 1A title 38-35.  In the afternoon game, Louisville Central beat Belfry 21-17 to win the school's first state title in the 3A Championship.

It didn't rain in the first two games, but it rained all through the Highlands win.  Bowling Green has lost in the title game the past three years.

On the way up to Louisville, I must have passed or was passed by two dozen Lone Oak vehicles with shoe polished windows and purple window flags.  I don't know if there will be anyone left in Lone Oak Saturday.

Also, the Fort Campbell/NewCath game drew a mention in today's USA Today, as did WKDZ and WHVO.  Check out the second story.

Click here to read the article

Blogging on the road: Louisville

I will be hitting the road and blogging from Louisville the next two days.  Destination: Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium.

The Saturday Morning Sports Report will come to you from PJCS at 8:10am.  The Class 2A state championship pregame will air at 9:02am.  Kickoff is at 10:30am local time between Fort Campbell and Newport Central Catholic.

You can also hear the game live on www.wkdzradio.com and www.oldies1480.com.

Here are some more articles on the game:

• Newport Central Catholic going for third straight title (Cincy Post)
• Falcon receivers give offense balance (Clarksville Leaf Chronicle)
• Story on Coach Schneider of NewCath (Leaf Chronicle)

NewCath favored over Fort Campbell

Newport Central Catholic is favored to beat Fort Campbell from anywhere from five to seven points this weekend in the Class 2A State Championship football game in Louisville.

Our coverage begins Saturday morning at 8:10am with the Saturday Morning Sports Report from Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium.

The pregame show on both WKDZ and WHVO will begin at 9:02am.  You can listen to the game on the internet at www.wkdzradio.com and www.oldies1480.com.

• The Louisville Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings give NewCath a five-point edge
• The Lexington Herald-Leader Cantrell Rankings also give NewCath a five-point edge
• The Massey Ratings also make NewCath a five-point favorite over the Falcons
• Calpreps.com predicts NewCath will win 28-21.

Fort Campbell vs. Newport Central Catholic - Class 2A State Title Game

Fort Campbell will play Newport Central Catholic Saturday in the Class 2A State Championship Game at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium.

Our coverage begins Saturday morning at 8:10am as the Saturday Morning Sports Report hits the road and comes to you from the Pizza Box.  The pregame show will begin at 9:02am on both WKDZ-FM and WHVO-AM.

Here are some links to stories being written about the game:

• Fort Campbell wants a return to the glory days (Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle)
• Get to know Falcon offensive coordinator Mike Marciano (Clarksville Leaf Chronicle)
• Newport Central Catholic starts slow (NKY.com)
• Falcon linemen hold key to offense (Leaf Chronicle)
• Story on Fort Campbell's Josh McWherter (Leaf Chronicle)
• Story on Fort Campbell's Zach Rinestine (Kentucky New Era)
• Falcons seek respect (New Era)

Marshall County HoopFest begins Thursday

The Marshall County HoopFest begins tonight and runs through late Saturday.  University Heights plays Saturday, and the Blazers are the only Second Region team in the event.

CLICK HERE for the complete HoopFest schedule and ticket prices

Trigg takes fourth place at Paducah Invitational

Trigg County finished fourth out of seven teams at the Paducah Invitational Swim Meet Saturday.

Here is how the relay teams finished:

• Girls 200-yard relay - 4th place (2:42.59)
• Boys 200-yard relay - 3rd place (2:08.70)
• Girls 200-yard freestyle relay - 3rd place (2:15.61)
• Boys 200-yard freestyle relay - 2nd place (1:49.02)

Here is how the swimmers finished:

• John Reinick,  2nd in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.60); 4th in 200 freestyle (2:26.93)
• Robert Gibson, 6th in 200 freestyle (2:34.42); 3rd in the 100 Butterfly (1:18.43)
• Ashley Wiegand, 5th in the Girls 200 IM (3:06.48); 5th in the Girls 100 Breaststroke (1:31.26)
• Chris Jenkins, 4th in the 200 IM (3:03.99); 7th in the 100 backstroke (1:28.26)
• Gilian Rogers, 5th in the Girls 50 freestyle (34.05); 8th in the Girls 100 freestyle (1:21.02)
• Macey Dailey, 15th in the Girls 50 freestyle (38.29); 14th in the Girls 100 backstroke (1:42.57)
• Erin Reinick, 20th in the Girls 50 freestyle (41.02);
• Codie Flood, 10th in the Girls 100 freestyle (1:28.98);
• Garrett Clark, 7th in the 100 freestyle (1:10.60); 9th in the 100 backstroke (1:33.97)
• Courtney Harrison, 6th place in the Girls 100 Backstroke (1:29.09)

                                      

Caldwell County 69 Trigg County 67

Jake Pepper hit two free throws with two seconds left to lift Caldwell County to a 69-67 win over Trigg County Tuesday night at Wildcat Gym.

Trigg twice battled back from 10-point deficits in the second half to tie the game but couldn't take an extended lead.

Down 64-54 with 3:00 left, the Wildcats used an 11-1 run to tie the game at 65 with :41 left.  After Caldwell took a 67-65 lead with :33 left, Shelton Burress drove for a layup with :10 left to tie the game.  Pepper was fouled in the lane with 2.4 seconds left and hit both free throws for the win.

Burress led Trigg County with 20 points, while Tron Gray led Caldwell County with 28 points.

Both teams are now 1-1 on the season.

Trigg returns to action Friday at Crittenden County.

Trigg won the JV game 39-35 in overtime.

CLICK HERE for the game boxscore

Alex Legion coming back to UK?

Like sands through the hour glass, and so are the days of our lives.

Less than 24 hours after announcing that he was seeking a transfer from Kentcuky, freshman guard Alex Legion has reportedly decided to stick it out at UK.  What is it with these guards from Michigan?  First Joe Crawford and now Legion.

“I’m told Billy (Gillispie) and he have worked out their differences,” Annette Legion told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “If that’s true, I will support him. I don’t have a problem if he goes back. He’s the one that’s doing the hardship. He’s the one doing the workouts.”

The last sentence says it all.  The UK players aren't used to being worked this hard in practice.

Seth Davis of SI.com first broke the story tonight.  After watching him on CBS be wrong more than right, I'll wait this one out to see if Seth finally gets one right.